Best of Arlington 2014

Health, Fitness & Beauty

Best Dermatologist

Courtney Herbert makes it a priority to examine every inch of her patients—to learn the story behind every scar. “I do primarily full-skin exams,” says the dermatologist, who grew up in Potomac and now lives in McLean. “It’s really a lost art. Most [doctors] don’t do it anymore because it takes up a lot of time. But a person’s body is a map of their life. Skin is the largest organ.”

As an undergraduate, Herbert intended to go to law school, until her father (also a physician) was diagnosed with prostate cancer. “My dad was very, very sick,” she says. “I was at the hospital and I didn’t understand what was going on and I couldn’t really help.” She decided to become a doctor herself, earning a degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine and then completing her residency in dermatology at Tulane in New Orleans.

Her Arlington-based practice, FDL Dermatology (the acronym stands for fleur-de-lis) is now a tribute to that city and the warmth of its culture. Patients often invite her to birthday parties and weddings. When they travel to the Big Easy, they bring her beignets.

“It didn’t look like anything to me,” says local resident Sally Hudson, who pointed out a mole on her arm during a routine visit. “But she took me right in immediately and did a biopsy. The next day it came back as malignant.” Hudson had the melanoma removed and now sees Herbert every six months.

“She is by far one of the best doctors I’ve ever had—even outside of dermatology,” says Hudson, a policy analyst for the Department of Defense. “She’s what a doctor should be.” –W.K.